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[bigbloke]

How do again all,

Fate has once again conspired to make me work in unfamiliar parts of the country several days a week,and i think I'm going to be around st albans midweek for a few months.

I gather the public can sail models on verulamium park boating lake, but not between april and august due to on-site bird nesting. I also gather that the local boat club meets there on a sunday, but no use to me im afraid as im weekdays only.

Anyone recommend a sailing site in easy striking distance of  hemel /st albans with evening access and [ideally] close by [e.g. pond side in a perfect world] parking please ?

Many thanks in advance

Regards

BB

[Plastic - RIP]

There's a separate little boating lake at the end of the big lake that you can use all year. It's a bit shallow on one side if you have a deep keel. (it's only a couple of feet deep in the middle so waders can be helpful).

The easiest car park to use is the one for Verulum Museum - it's a pay & display - bring lots of extra change because the machines are sometimes fussy about accepting some coins.

[roycv]

Hi Bigbloke, Was that yourself that enquired whether you could use the lake and got the rather curious reply about the breeding season? This is being challenged, as the ban over the breeding season is something dreamed up by an employee of the council over the last few weeks. 

The lake has never had any ban over its' use during the breeding season.  The club has been using the lake for most of 70 years and we know the coot family very well who nest on the lake, an exclusive twiggy detached dwelling in the lake.
They are most friendly  to us and frequently bring out their family to show us.  We for our part leave them space with our model boats and make sure that  their privacy and safety are paramount.

So watch this space the matter is beng attended to at the highest possible level.
regards Roy

[roycv]

Hi Plastic you have a PM.
Roy

[bigbloke]

Hi Roy

No it wasnt me.

I asked a ladyfriend of mine who lives in hemel about which were the nearest venues comparable to those we both knew from back in Wales, and she suggested St Albans park. The rest came as a result of google searches which lead me to the council website.

I have waders  but my keel is about 50cm so maybe i need to find deeper waters ?


Do you know what times the place is open to ? Still not enough light yet for after work but im hoping to be able to sail within a month or so. Just dodged redundancy so only sailed once this year for about 40 mins.

Is the pond big enough for a small [48cm] fast electric ? Or should i stick to my yacht ?

And are there alternative venues within say 15 miles please ?

Regards

BB

[roycv]

Hi BB, I can't think of any where 15 mins away from Verulamium park.  I do not remember it being closed so I guess if it's light you are OK.
I usually have yachts with 300 mm keels and they run fine.  550mms would be OK if you keep well away from the obvious shallow area.  The large lake is good for yachts, we usually sail between the bridge and the first island.

We have club evenings on the 2nd. Wednesday of each month in St. Albans and although it is a general meeting you would be most welcome as a visitor.  Send me a PM if you want to visit and I wil give you details of meeting subject.  e.g. April is our AGM and we have a small members exhibition of work.
regards Roy

[roycv]

Hi all, the council have admitted they made a mistake!!!!!

The FAQs will be altered accordingly on their website.

So boating is OK all the year round on the Boating lake.
The restrictions apply to the large lake only.

best regards Roy

[bigbloke]

Great news ;-)

Many thanks both

Regards

BB

[bigbloke]

One other question Roy,

The pic on google maps seems to be a bit weedy on the northeast bank .

Is weed a problem please ?

Regards

BB

[roycv]

Hi BB it comes and goes with the summer, should not be a problem at all at the moment.  The weed we get rises up and floats on the surface, its not there that long and that is when we migrate to the large lake.
regards Roy

[bigbloke]

I see the council have revised their position on model boats
 
but the larger lake is now officially out of bounds
 
What is the other "apparent pond" looking at google maps in sat view please ?
 
The "apparent" pond is the one to the "north east" of the "pond with a bridge" -
looks like it has a "fishing post" on the northern bank
 
regards
 
BB
 
(brought my yacht this week so will be giving it a go tonight / tomorrow)
 
 

[Car wash !!!]

How do again all,

Fate has once again conspired to make me work in unfamiliar parts of the country several days a week,and i think I'm going to be around st albans midweek for a few months.

I gather the public can sail models on verulamium park boating lake, but not between april and august due to on-site bird nesting. I also gather that the local boat club meets there on a sunday, but no use to me im afraid as im weekdays only.

Anyone recommend a sailing site in easy striking distance of  hemel /st albans with evening access and [ideally] close by [e.g. pond side in a perfect world] parking please ?

Many thanks in advance

Regards

BB

Your message is missing

Ken

[bigbloke]

Just a quick heads up to say that I did try the pond but due to the excessive silt build up after the recent park flooding
It was a bit of a disaster due to the depth of my keel!

Ended up needing my roach pole to recover the yacht (which I broke in the process)

Just managed to get the centurion's ESC working again so I will return with a fast electric that only needs a few inches
Of water to run on .

Ended up doing some kite flying there instead

Regards

BB